


The Ink Machine and the Soul Contracts

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Mild Abuse, Mild child neglect, They aren't really that bad and only in one chapter, but i should probably tag them anyways, but they wont be super important so i wont tag it, just in case, theres probably gunna be some cuphead bosses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-01-17 19:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12372558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: Bendy was always excited to take over Hell, but he's having some issues with it. More than one of these people haven't deserved to loose their souls, and the fallen angel in her cage seems much too nice. He's beginning to suspect that something's wrong with his dad, and something seems off about his pop too. It's eventually all too much, and he runs away. He hadn't planned on saving the fallen angel or living with one of his dads debtors. But sometimes that's just how it goes. He starts work on his Ink Machine, and if a couple of cups show up on the way, he's completely fine with it.





	1. Hell Family

“Bendy darling, would you come here?” Bendy grinned and turned around fast. He leapt over the tall hellfire in front of him and raced to go find his dad. He glanced around at all the souls burning and smiled at them. Some of them screamed as he passed them, and some were much too tired to do anything of the sort. He carefully stepped through the portal between hell and the casino and approached his dad from behind.

“What is it Dad?” He asked and the Devil smiled. He carefully picked Bendy up and set him on the arm of his throne. He’d promised Bendy that one day he’d be big enough for the throne, but the demon was still quite young. Bendy carefully climbed up the Devil’s arm to sit on his shoulder. “What’s going on?” 

“Your Pop is going to be bringing in someone that made a deal in a bit. I want you to see how I deal with them, since I know you will be soon. Besides, I think you’ll find it fun.” The Devil chuckled along with himself and Bendy grinned as the door to the outer casino was thrown open and his pop stepped in. 

“There ya go boss, one more for the books.” King Dice smirked and came over to lean on the throne. Bendy grinned at him, and he prodded lightly between the little demon’s horns. The small skeleton was shaking so hard their bones were rattling. Bendy knew that they didn’t really have much to fear, their fate would be agreeable. They’d simply be bonded to the casino forever, and forced to have certain outcomes to bets. Their soul contract would never even have to be asked for.

“You. You lost a bet, so I hear. From my right hand man.” Bendy had to stifle a laugh at the Devil’s words. Around hell, they joked frequently that King Dice was the Devil’s left hand man, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard the original. King Dice seemed to notice because he blew gently and Bendy had to grip the Devil’s fur tightly not to fall off. “You understood what you signed up for, yes?” 

“Yes….of course but…..but sir I-“ The Devil chuckled lowly at the skeletons dying protests. Literally dying, their soul was already beginning to leave their body. What little they had at least. “Sir please!” 

“Look dear, you cannot ever listen to them. Nothing comes of letting a soul off, with or without a soul contract. They will simply never return and get away with it all.” The Devil smiled down at the little soul as it drifted into his hand. Bendy leaned in close to see it, but almost topped off his dad’s shoulder. “Careful there dear!” The Devil tossed the soul behind him, and it melded quickly with the hellfire. “Now, little skeleton, what are you going to do?”

“Get out there and bet.” The skeleton sounded deadpan and empty. Both the Devil and King Dice laughed and Bendy rocked back and forth on his dad’s shoulder. He couldn’t wait to rule hell. 

“Good! Then get going!” The skeleton scrambled out of the room, and Bendy waved as they went. Bendy held his arms out to King Dice, and his pop carefully picked him up. “You think they’ll be alright without you for a while cupcake? The little one needs something to eat.” The Devil stood up and lightly kissed King Dice’s cheek. The die head hummed quietly and brought Bendy up to his face for another soft kiss. 

“I’m sure they’ll be fine out there. I have as much time as you need my love.” Bendy grinned up at his parents as they exchanged a quick kiss. He loved them both dearly.

 

“Do you have to go to work tomorrow Pop? I wanna play with you and Dad again!” King Dice smiled warmly at the little demon. Bendy returned the smile and carefully stepped through the hellfire. If he stepped on any of the souls, they might as well have disappeared. The Devil smiled and carefully lifted him out of the hellfire all together. He set him down on the floor of his office, and Bendy rushed over to his pop. He tightly gripped King Dice’s knee in a hug before struggling up it to sit in his lap. “Please?”

“That’s up to your dad darling. He’s the boss after all.” The Devil stuck his forked tongue out at his husband’s words and King Dice laughed. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea dear. We’ll have a day off, and we can go wherever you’d like. Except Hell of course.” King Dice shuddered slightly, and the Devil put a hand on his shoulder. They both smiled, and Bendy couldn’t help but grin.

“Thank you dad!” He giggled excitedly and leapt over to his dad’s lap. The Devil laughed and King Dice only smiled wider.

They certainly were the most feared family in the world, but they also seemed like the sweetest at times.


	2. Trouble in Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been a bit of a timeskip between this chapter and the last one.

“Dad? Are you alright?” The Devil turned sharply to the little demon, and laughed loudly. 

“Yes, of course dear! Just had a rough soul to deal with, not a problem.” The Devil laughed again and grabbed a cigar out of his back pocket. He casually lit it in the hellfire, and Bendy winced but nodded. He hated the smell of cigars, and he hadn’t seen either of his parents use them in a long time. Not since he was quite small. “Whatcha starring at kiddo?”

“Oh, just lost in thought.” Bendy quickly leapt over the hellfire and headed to the casino. He wanted to see his pop and maybe dance some in the main room. He didn’t have to go far, his pop was in his dad’s office, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Pop? Is everything okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes darling, everything’s alright. I just need to speak with your dad about one of the customers. I think we might try a deal, he seems to be having a bought of good luck.” Bendy grinned and glanced back at Hell. His dad would come back to the office soon, even if he’d rather stick around in Hell. Bendy carefully climbed up the throne and held his arms out to his pop. King Dice chuckled and easily picked him up.

Bendy had turned out much smaller than any of them had expected. He hadn’t turned out very good at managing Hell either. He always forgot the soul contracts, and he wasn’t capable of dealing with anything directly besides any unruly hellfire. He was absolutely tiny, so most other demons just laughed at him until his dad showed up. The only thing he seemed truly interested in was dancing at the casino. That and a little bit of betting. His parents had decided that he was still a little too young for that, but they both encouraged his dancing. He was quite good at it too.

“What’s taking him so long?” King Dice barely muttered the words, but being much larger than Bendy meant he heard pretty much all he said. He glanced at Hell again, but there was no one near the entrance, or anywhere else in sight for that matter. Bendy let out a sigh and rested his head on one hand. He couldn’t go out into the casino in case his dad wanted him to help deal with the soul.

After about twenty minutes, King Dice sat in the throne, and let Bendy down onto the floor. The demon didn’t really want to be down there, but his pop seemed very upset. He ran around on the floor, occasionally checking in with his pop. They stayed in the office for hours, well until the bright lights of the casino could be seen in the darkness. Bendy ran all over Hell looking for the Devil, but he’d come up empty handed. King Dice at least let him stay up, until he very suddenly stood up and sighed deeply.

“Go to bed darling, I’m going looking for him. Don’t worry, I’ll find him one way or another.” Bendy nodded slowly as King Dice pulled his coat back on. Just as he was about to open the door to the casino, it flung open and almost hit him in the head. “There you are! We’ve been worried sick!” The Devil pushed past him into his office, and grabbed another cigar. “What…what are you doing?”

“Smoking. Ain’t it obvious?” The Devil practically snarled at him, and looked around the office. “Why the fuck is the kid still up?” Bendy winced and took a small step back. Something seemed different about his dad, and he didn’t like it. His pop didn’t seem to like it either.

“Dear, didn’t we agree not to smoke around Bendy? Nor swear?” He moved to put his arms around the Devil’s waist, but he nearly fell on the floor when the Devil moved swiftly to the throne. 

“Whatever. Get to bed kid, I’ve got some important work to go.” The Devil was back to snarling, and Bendy nodded quickly and ran back into Hell. He didn’t go to his safe little bed though, and stuck around the entrance instead. He stayed just out of sight, but close enough to hear. “Now, I heard through the grape vine you had a soul for me?”

“That was hours ago darling, I’m sure he left by now.” King Dice carefully leaned against the thrown, but the Devil hissed at him and he jumped back. “What’s going on with you?”

“Just had a bad day. Had to deal with something top secret.” He didn’t elaborate, and King Dice’s face fell.

“I’m sorry love. Would you like to find some way to unwind?” King Dice’s voice got low, and Bendy couldn’t really hear what he said next. Something about his pop’s office and a comfortable space. He didn’t understand, since his dad would only be able to sleep comfortably in the hellfire of home. But, if it would help…

“No. Already found a way to relax.” The Devil turned his head and King Dice looked almost injured. He took a couple steps back and grasped for a wall behind him.

“W….what?” The Devil sneered at his stuttering and laughed loudly.

“You heard me! I’ve found a way, another one to unwind! I don’t need you anymore King, so I suggest you head back to your kingdom for now. And if you don’t have your act together by tomorrow, then you won’t like what I do.” The Devil was all but hissing a hellish language, and King Dice could barely stand. He took a deep breath and quickly left through the casino. The Devil sighed and turned his cigar between his fingers.

Bendy carefully crept off to bed, and couldn’t help crying a little when he made it there. He couldn’t sleep, and quiet sobs racked his body. The Devil came back for bed a few hours later, but he completely ignored his crying son. Bendy eventually drifted off, to nightmares of his pop in danger from his dad. He woke up crying twice before morning.


	3. Hell's Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil does and says some pretty horrible stuff in this chapter. Please be careful reading it, I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. Thank you.

The next day was possibly the worst day of Bendy’s life. 

His parents refused to act like they usually did. King Dice wouldn’t come back to the office any more than he absolutely had too. They acted very professional and barely talked. The Devil collected two more souls, but didn’t call for Bendy either time. In fact, it seemed like they’d both forgotten about him. He stayed in hell the whole day, stomach growling, occasionally dropping off, and messing with the hellfire. Several souls called out to him, but he didn’t even feel up to crushing any hope they had of leaving. It was well past dark when the door in the office opened quietly.

“Bendy? Are you in there darling?” He raced through the portal and straight into his pop’s chest. He couldn’t help but cry, and he cursed himself for getting ink on the beautiful suit his pop always wore. “Are you alright dear? Why are you crying?” He sobbed and his pop held him tighter.

“I…I thought you’d forgotten about me!” He sobbed. King Dice frowned and brought him up to his shoulder. 

“I’d never forget you dear. Did the Devil never come back to Hell for you?” King Dice asked. Bendy shook his head, and King Dice visibly stiffened. “Well, let’s not worry about that right now.” He carefully put Bendy on the ground. “I’ll be right back with something for you to eat.” Bendy nodded, and King Dice smiled at him carefully before leaving the office again.

Bendy looked around the throne room, and frowned. The Devil was nowhere in sight, something he was glad about for once. The throne seemed larger than usual. In fact, everything seemed bigger. He may have been pitiably small, but he knew what the room looked like. He’d spent half of his life there after all. He whipped away a few remaining tears and went over to the throne. He tried to climb it, but he fell about halfway up. It was definitely a bigger climb than usual, but he couldn’t figure out why. Why would the Devil make his office bigger? It was already more than big enough. Maybe…maybe it was to keep him off of it all. He felt another few tears begin to fall, and he sat in front of the throne.

When King Dice came back, neither one of them said a word. He just whipped Bendy’s tears, and sat next to him. The food he’d brought back was nothing special, one of the tiny soup cans Bendy used to love. Bendy leaned on his leg, and King Dice leaned against the floor so that he felt covered and safe. The room seemed to stretch on forever to both of them, and Bendy almost started crying again at the thought. He’d looked up at one point, and noticed his pop looked on the verge of tears too. He just turned back to his food and tried not to think about how horrible the day had been.

When the office door opened, both of them jumped. The Devil was staring at them with a heated gaze. Bendy stood up and carefully took a step towards him. The Devil hissed and he ran back to King Dice’s side.

“What’s with you?” King Dice asked angrily. Apparently he’d run out of professional things to say.

“Did you not get the memo yesterday? Get the fuck out of my office!” The Devil didn’t have a cigar tonight, but he seemed to be swaying slightly. Bendy guessed he was drunk, but he also knew how much alcohol that took for his dad. A dangerous amount for any other creature. 

“No! You didn’t feed Bendy all day, and it didn’t seem like you were about to!” Bendy winced as his pop yelled, and his dad hissed again.

“I don’t need you to tell me how to raise my kid!”

“He’s my kid too!”

“Not anymore!” King Dice practically fell over at that, and Bendy couldn’t help but whimper. “Shut your yap kid!”

“Don’t talk to him that way!” King Dice was standing up now, and the few feet he had on the Devil helped make him look ominous. The Devil slunk back for a second, before pouncing forward and slapped King Dice in the face. Hard, with fire in his eyes and fingers. King Dice stumbled back and Bendy almost screamed. 

“Get. The fuck. Out of my office.” The Devil stepped aside from the door and pointed at it venomously. King Dice glanced back at Bendy and nearly sobbed when he realized his son was crying. Ink was getting everywhere, and they both knew the Devil would be upset. But there was nothing they could do. King Dice left the office with his head dropped so low it seemed it might fall off of his shoulders. “Go to bed kid.”

“But-“ The Devil hissed again and Bendy scrambled for Hell. He stood just inside the entrance again to see if he could find anything else out. The Devil just muttered to himself and wrote on a piece of parchment for a very long time. When Bendy dared to peak around the corner, it looked like the Devil was rescribbling a soul contract. He couldn’t tell which one though. He sighed and leaned into the hellfire, and let it carry him to bed. He didn’t feel like he had the energy to go himself.

Definitely the worst day of his life.


	4. The Devil's Casino

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're just on the edge of the good stuff folks! Hopefully this'll kick in real soon! Also I have literally no idea if casino's have dance floors, but this one does. Because I can, and Bendy needs somewhere to dance.

Bendy decided to try to avoid his parents as best he could that day. There wasn’t really anywhere he could go that he wouldn’t be shunned, but there was always the casino. It was likely his pop would show up at some point, but he never could talk much during the day. He was at work after all.

While the Devil was busy looking over soul contracts, Bendy snuck out through the crack between the door and the floor. The casino was sized for any and all creatures, and luckily, the smallest place was the closest. Bendy fit in with everyone’s heights there and no one seemed to bother him. Some of the customers knew he was a demon, and others just assumed he was some sort of cat. Either way people were polite, and almost no one turned down any of his offers to dance. He didn’t have to pay for anything either, the staff knew exactly who he was.

The band was in full swing when he got there, and he smiled up at them. They were his favorite employees, and he was their favorite “customer”. They didn’t treat him different from anyone else, despite the fact that they might lose their jobs, or their lives. They taught him all sorts of new dances and he made sure the Devil never fired them in a fit of anger. It didn’t always work, but whoever came along was almost as good, and almost as friendly. 

“Some music huh?” Bendy turned to his right and smiled up at the wolf that had talked to him. Bendy looked him up and down, and decided he wasn’t a usual. He didn’t seem rich, just wore some old overalls and had a dopey grin on his face. He probably didn’t know what he was getting into by even coming here. His foot was tapping and he was swaying slightly to the music. Bendy couldn’t help but do the same.

“Yup! Best musicians in all of Hell, that group.” Bendy grinned up at the wolf who only smiled back. Alright, maybe he did know what he was getting into. “Having any luck?”

“Oh, I don’t gamble. Just heard this was one of the hottest bands around. Music’s sort of my thing.” The wolf all but mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed a bit shy to share anything about himself, but he was doing it anyways. Bendy just grinned and shrugged.

“They are amazing.” Bendy nodded at the piano player, and the skeleton winked back. Bendy started moving around to the beat, and held a hand out to the wolf. “Wanna dance?” The wolf blinked before he shook his head.

“Sorry, my sense of rhythm disappears when I try to dance. I hope you have fun though!” The wolf waved before vanishing into the crowd. Bendy shrugged and jumped right into the dance. It was a fast swing, but he had no problem keeping up. He swayed, jumped, kicked and grabbed anyone who was willing to partner with him. He was laughing at some point, and it felt so good after the day before.

He couldn’t dance forever, even if he was a demon though. He headed over to the bar, and jumped up on a stool. He didn’t even have to say anything before the bartender was already getting up his favorite. Several people looked at him oddly when he was handed a cup full of ink, but he didn’t mind. It’s good to get his energy back up, and help with his gradually growing powers. He took a big sip and turned to lean against the bar. He was facing one of the large doors between the different sizes of customers. He could see his pop watching a lucky gambler, and silently hoped he wouldn’t come over here for a while. It wasn’t very likely, but he could still hope.

His stomach flipped over when he realized King Dice was ducking under the doorframe to head the area of the casino. He set his cup down on the bar, and hopped off the stool. He could try to blend in with the dancing crowd again, but that probably wouldn’t work. His pop knew his dancing style after seeing it so much. He could try to gamble, but that was what hid pop usually looked over. The bar was probably his best shot, but he’d already left it. Going back to Hell was probably the best idea at this point. Bendy sighed deeply before heading to the dark small hallway that lead back to the Devil’s office.

“Oh, hello there young sir.” Bendy stiffened quickly and turned to his pop. King Dice was smiling at him in an odd way, and wasn’t bending down to pick him up so they could have a normal conversation. And what exactly had he called Bendy? “On your way back to the office?”

“Uh, yeah. Just wanna make sure dad doesn’t need me.” Bendy tried not to stutter and it worked out better then he’d thought. King Dice just nodded and looked thoughtful. 

“Since when is he your dad? I thought you were just a favorite of his.” His pop didn’t look like he was joking, and Bendy felt his heart drop from his chest to his toes. Something was wrong, horribly wrong. “Well, whatever he lets you call him is fine, so long as you don’t try anything funny. I wouldn’t suggest that at all young sir.” Bendy nearly fainted when he realized his pop thought he was just another demon. “Take care, and let me know if the Devil needs anything.”

“I…..I will.” He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he just went with it. He raced off to the office the second King Dice turned around, and he tried not to cry as he did.

Something was most definitely wrong around here.

 

Bendy crawled back under the door and whipped away a few stray tears. The Devil was distractedly scribbling on some old soul contracts. He considered just racing into Hell for the rest of the day, but that wouldn’t get anything done. He cautiously cleared his throat and the Devil practically jumped out of his throne. 

“Oh, kid, it’s you. What’s so important you had to interrupt me?” The Devil glanced back at the soul contracts as he spoke, but Bendy tapped his foot lightly and the Devil looked back at him.

“Something’s wrong with pop.” Bendy mentally added ‘and you’ to the sentence, but he knew better than to say it out load. The Devil looked confused for a second, before laughing loudly. Bendy took a small step backwards, but crossed his arms as he did. He was determined to stand his ground, no matter how scary that was. 

“He’s not you pop kiddo, and I’m sure as Hell not your dad. It was a mistake, you’re just a little demon, nothing of importance. I just had to straighten myself out, and then give Dice the same treatment. He’ll be back to a bumbling servant again before too long. In fact, it sounds like you’ve helped fix him up already!” The Devil barely contained his laughter as he talked, and he let it out in an ugly belch after he was done. A few more tears slipped down Bendy’s cheeks, but he just nodded along. He felt powerless and, compared to the Devil, he was. “Get back to Hell would ya? I don’t want too many of you all sneaking around the casino.”

Bendy did as he was told and raced back into Hell. He ran until he found a small patch of souls that he recognized. He plopped down in the middle of it, and listened to the little whispers they made. They were some of the oldest souls in Hell, and they had lost all energy to scream. But they had been there long enough to relearn to whisper. They never said anything that made sense, and there was no conversations to be had with them, but the gentle whispering always helped Bendy feel calm. 

He sobbed quietly as the souls whispered advice. The oldest one of all even seemed to know a bit about what was going on, but nothing he said was useful. Bendy just laid down between them all and watched as the ink of his tears fell into the Hellfire. Each drop caused a tiny cloud of smoke to rise up for a few seconds, and Bendy managed to smile at that. He’d just have to figure out what was wrong and do what he could to fix it.

Not today though. Today he was exhausted.


	5. Lucky Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get to this! I've not been in a big writing mood lately, I'm trying my best tho! This chapter is kind of a filler, but that's mostly cuz I feel like I'm going to fast with this. Just might make it a bit easier to read overall. Enjoy!

For another week, Bendy dodged his parents as much as he could. The Devil would occasionally ask duties of him, but mostly he rewrote soul contracts. King Dice was almost exclusively in the casino, and Bendy avoided it at all costs. He stuck around the entrance to Hell, just in case something important happened. He felt incredibly alone, and the only food he had was a back up supply of ink where he slept in Hell. The Hellfire still rose and fell with his commands and because of that he still had hope. The Devil may not seem to care about him, but as long as the Hellfire listened everything would be okay. If it stopped doing as he asked...well Bendy wasn't sure what he'd do then, but it would have to be drastic.

The entrance to Hell wasn't a very fun place to stick around, but it was a safe one. He could see everything his dad did, every new soul for Hell, and any time that Dice visited he'd learn just a little bit more about what was going on in the casino. He found that not only was the Devil acting beyond his usual self, but he seemed confused and dazed too. More and more people left with their soul contracts still in hand, and it was honestly beginning to get shameful. Bendy had accidentally let a few people off with their contracts, but he was in training at that point. The Devil had been doing this seamlessly for almost all of eternity, but he was suddenly having severe problems. The demons of Hell wouldn't be able to meet their quota if he kept up this way. Luckily, it seemed that a wave of new people itching to bet their souls were coming through. The most interesting one Bendy had seen was probably the djinn who claimed to be from ancient Egypt. None of them coming through seemed normal, but the Devil's business wasn't exactly a normal one.

When Bendy was beginning to fear he'd be trapped in Hell for two or more weeks (maybe even forever), his lucky break came. 

"Bendy! You back there?" The Devil called from his office. Bendy sprang to his feet and raced out of Hell faster than he'd ever moved before. He nearly knocked into the Devil's throne, but managed to avoid it in the nick of time. He skidded to a stop in front of the Devil and smiled up at him. "Fuck kid, you're real excited for casino duty. Hell, you little things usually are though." Bendy's tail drooped, along with his smile. 

"Um, Dad? I mean...Devil, sir?" Bendy mentally cursed himself for his 'mix up' but stood his ground. The Devil raised an eyebrow, and he knew that meant he was free to speak. He'd seen it enough directed at his pop that week. "I've never been on casino duty before."

"Really? She won't let you damned little things sin anymore? What is this, a solo act?" The Devil grumbled angrily and lit himself a cigar. Bendy nearly gasped, but stepped on his own tail to stop. The Devil had clearly been talking to himself, but it might've been a clue. Anyway Bendy could find information would be great. "Just go out and mingle. Get people to bet and bet high. Tell Dice if there's anyone stupid enough to maybe give up their soul. He'll take it from there." Bendy carefully nodded along, but knew what he'd really do. It was early enough that the band wouldn't be playing, and he could finally have an outside opinion about what was going on.

 

"Well well well! If it isn't the little swinging sinner himself! How've you been Bendy?" Bendy was completely shocked when he walked backstage. The only one that had greeted him was the only remaining member of the band he remembered. In one week, every other member had been fired or kicked out. Hell, some of them might have had someone else before whoever was standing in front of him now. The oldest member of the band, who could never be kicked because of his contract, was smiling at him but it looked worn thin. "How come I haven't seen you on the dance floor for almost a week? You're usually so easy to spot."

"I haven't been on the dance floor in a week. Something is wrong with dad and pop." He mumbled the words, but the new band members started muttering between themselves. One glare from the old piano playing skeleton and they were shutting their yaps fast. 

"The kind of wrong that you feel when you break your mom's favorite vase, or the kind of wrong you feel after realizing you've been on the run from the pigs for almost five years?" Bendy shrugged as a reply, he'd never done either. "Eh, might as well not answer. There's all sorts of other wrongs besides those two. Listen kid, whatever it is, I'm sure you can fix it. You've saved my hide more times than anyone could ever count, and I've seen you practically bend the laws of nature to fit your needs. Hey, maybe that's why they call you Bendy!" The other members of the band chuckled at that, but Bendy just frowned. It wasn't exactly helpful, but he didn't want to put any more stress on the piano player. "You'd better get out there kiddo, we start soon."

"Alright. I'll see you on the dance floor!" Bendy blew a kiss as he parted the curtain to make his way to the dance floor. He didn't get the chance however, because he immediately ran into something rather hard. He landed on his tail, and hissed in pain. He looked up to see what he'd run into and almost screamed at the angry expression on Dice's face. "Pop! Um...I mean...."

"Whatever you mean doesn't matter. What were you doing back stage, you're supposed to be working." Bendy stood up carefully and brushed dust off of his shoulders. "Well?"

"The casino isn't even open yet, how could I be working?" King Dice rolled his eyes, and Bendy felt like disappearing into the floor. 

"You could be cleaning up, like the others." King Dice was practically fuming, and Bendy gulped. He'd never seen his pop this angry. Well, that was a lie. He'd never seen his pop this angry at him before. And he understood why others would tremble now, he felt glued to the spot with terror. "You're not even in uniform."

"There's a uniform?" Bendy had never noticed the other demons in anything but their skin, which was an odd thick layer over their actual bodies. Bendy didn't have the thick layer since he was made of ink, but he didn't think he'd have to wear special clothes just for this. 

"Of course. The Devil has been making more rules about being professional. Here, you're lucky I have an extra." Somehow, even when he was angry, King Dice seemed almost forgiving to him. Bendy doubted it carried over to the other demons anymore, but it still seemed to be there with him. King Dice knelt down and handed Bendy a tiny purple bow tie. He looked over at the other demons, and sure enough, they were wearing them too. It wasn't much clothing at all, but quite a few of them didn't look comfortable with them. Several were adjusting them frequently and a couple others seemed to be trying to slip them in the trash. Bendy held his carefully in his gloved hand and starred at it for much longer than was probably necessary. Anything to not have to look at his pop again. "Well, its about time to open now. Get that on and go open up the doors, would ya?" Bendy nodded and raced off quickly. King Dice starred after him and shook his head.

"Poor kid. Wish Devil wasn't so hard on him."

 

The bow tie felt oddly tight around Bendy's neck, but he'd worn things like it before when his parents felt like taking him somewhere a bit fancier. He kept adjusting it as he wound his way through the maze of a casino to the front doors. He knew this place like the back of his glove, and could be anywhere in seconds if he really wanted to be. He wanted to be as slow as possible to think things over. After all, so much had already happened today. After a week of nothing it seemed that way at least. The front entrance was a bit farther off than you'd expect, so he had quite a while to think.

'Well, the old skeleton believes I can fix this. Maybe he's right. I've just got to think of a new way of looking at things. That's how dad gets so many souls. Maybe the girl dad was talking about can help me! I don't know where to find her though.' His tail swished back and forth quickly as he thought. His walking always made it move a bit, but it was standing at attention, and wagging fast. 'Maybe she's the one that I should look out for! Dad did say that he'd found someone else to...relax with the first day he came home bad. Pop seemed so upset about that, I wonder why. I thought you could relax with anyone, I didn't know it was a special thing. Maybe it is for pop.' Bendy looked up and found he was in front of the main doors. He decided he shouldn't pace around and not do his job. He hoped he didn't have to greet anyone when he did, but no one said he had to. He took a deep breath and pulled the doors open.

He couldn't tell with the large crowd, but his real lucky break walked through the doors that day.


	6. Working 9 to 666

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It has been a while! Shit's been crazy! It's finally calming down now and I have a sort of new plan on how I'm approaching my current fics. Hopefully it'll work out, and this will end up updated at least once a week. That's not likely though but I can promise that it won't take as long to finish the next chapter. Anyways! Hell yeah!

Bendy was rushing around, trying to get used to the sudden work. His pop seemed to be dumping as much work as possible on him. Running back and forth between the bar and whatever table had asked for something, guiding lost people through the casino, weaving his way through the dancing crowd, Bendy was exhausted. Still, no break seemed to come and The Devil’s Casino was open late into the night. The other demons didn’t seem keen to help him, and King Dice’s watchful eye was more of a problem than a comfort. He finally managed to snag a barstool and sit for a while.

“Hey kid.” Bendy nearly hopped off the stool, but a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. “You get tired of dancing?” It was just Martini. Bendy didn’t know her well, but she was an old friend of his pop.

“I wish. I’ve been working.” Bendy replied. Martini raised an eyebrow and passed him a glass of ink. 

“Your old man change his mind? You gunna be manager instead of the new Satan?” She asked. Bendy took a long drink and inhaled sharply as he set the glass back down. “Take it easy kid!”

“I don’t know what’s going on. They’re both acting so weird, it’s like they aren’t even my parents anymore!” Bendy all but wailed. He finished the drink and hopped off the barstool. “I should get going again I don’t want anyone to think I’m a slacker.” He turned to walk away, but ran straight into someone. He fell to the ground, almost hitting his head on the barstool he’d just been sitting on. 

“Sorry dear, but I need your help.” Bendy looked up at the woman speaking, and his jaw almost dropped. She had a glow to her, some level of beauty that he couldn’t fully understand. He carefully sat up, trying not to stare for too long. “Could you please show me where the Devil’s office is?” Her voice was smooth and soft, perfect for singing. Bendy felt like he had to bow to her in an odd way.

“O-of course! Where you going to beat your soul?” Bendy stumbled over his words, and realized they weren’t the most eloquent. “I mean! I just have to know, so…so I can tell my boss! Soul contracts are very important and can be…put in the wrong hands so….” Bendy trailed off, playing with his tail. She was chuckling, although a bit nervously.

“No no, nothing like that. I’m actually an angel, and I attempted to make a meeting with the Devil, but he didn’t respond. There have been a few other issues with Hell’s management lately, so I needed to come see if there was anything I could do.” She replied. Bendy glanced behind him, but Martini seemed to have moved on. He should probably get King Dice for this. But then again, thing’s had been odd. Maybe it had something to do with the abnormalities this angel was looking into. If he could get any information out of it…

“I understand! I’ll take you back.” Bendy said, walking around the end of the bar. He entered the back of the casino and headed down a very familiar hallway. At first there were lots of pictures, many of them depicting the Devil and various contract owners. But the farther they walked, the walls began to become barren. They used to hold even more pictures, most of them of their happy little family. Bendy hadn’t even realized they were gone that morning, but every single one seemed to have disappeared.

“So, what is your name?” The angel asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“Me? Oh, well….I’m Bendy.” Bendy felt nervous telling her, and he could only hope that she didn’t know he was the Devil’s son. She didn’t seem to know.

“An odd name, but what demon doesn’t have one?” She sounded joking, and Bendy couldn’t help but laugh. Yes, most demons had strange names, but the residents of the Inkwell Isles didn’t have any better. They were all a bit too on the nose. 

“What about you, what’s your name?” Bendy didn’t see the harm in asking, but she stopped laughing and instantly stopped in her tracks.

“Are you secretly one of his higher ups?” Her voice, while still soothing, was full of accusation. Bendy felt a wave of panic wash over him.

“What? No! Of course not, why?”

“You are! Don’t play dumb, what demon doesn’t know the rules?” Large wings plumed from between her shoulder blades and she backed away from Bendy. “Stay away from me!” Bendy stumbled backwards and fell, starring up at the angel in fear. He didn’t know any rules about interacting with angels, his dad had always said he wouldn’t need to know them until he was older.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!” Bendy wailed. He could feel the Hellfire burning in his veins, but he didn’t dare use it. This angel already thought he was out to hurt her, and he wanted anything but.

“Just…tell me where the Devil’s office is.” Her voice had turned cold and almost cutting.

“Down the hall, the first door on the right.” His voice was shaky. She paid that no mind, and began walking down the hallway without him. As soon as he could stand again, he bolted back to the open casino. “No more angels. Ever.” He muttered to himself.

 

“Hey! Another Scotch! Keep ‘em comin’!” Some skeleton raised his glass as a signal for more alcohol. Bendy nodded. 

“Right away sir!” Bendy yelled over the din of music. He tried to weave him way through the crowd again, but bumped into someone again. “Oh, sorry!’ He reached out to help them stand, and was surprised to find the same wolf from a few days ago. “It’s you!”

“Hello cat! You’re looking fancy today!” The wolf replied, taking Bendy’s hand. “Is there a special occasion?” Bendy hadn’t thought about his disguise, but it was too late now.

“Y-yeah! I’m….um……” He racked his brain for something to say and finally came up with something. “Oh! I’m seeing my fella later tonight. Gotta look sharp for a date!” Bendy grinned as convincingly as he could. The wolf bought it, and smiled back.

“Well shucks, aren’t you lucky! I bet he likes dancing, huh?” Bendy laughed nervously and glanced at the bar. 

“Yeah! Yeah, he sure…he sure does! We’re quite the pair, he and I!” He rubbed at his arm and took a small step backwards. “I’ll uh…I’ll see you later then? I’ve kind of got somewhere to be.” The wolf nodded and waved, and Bendy took off in a mad dash. 

That wolf may be too friendly for his own good.


	7. Match Made in Hell

Bendy was sad to say that his biological clock was slowly beginning to match up with the time the casino opened. He had no time to spend with his parents, no time to figure out what had been going on. All he did all day was work, and he was too exhausted by the end of the day to do anything. King Dice only talked to him to boss him around, and Devil hadn't spoke to him in almost a week. Everything in his world was crumbling down and the only thing he had left was the Hellfire that still seemed to know who he was. The Devil's son, the future of Hell, a scared little thing that just wanted to dance his problems away. But he'd never get the chance. The other demons still seemed to hate him despite the fact he no longer got "special treatment". If anything, King Dice was even harder on him then any of the others. Bendy sighed and carefully stood up. The Hellfire seemed to follow him up, but only for a few seconds. The demons were filing out of Hell and into the casino, and Bendy did the same.

He'd become almost numb at the job. Customers yelled, the music blared, loud conversations drifted in from the gambling area. The lights would flicker or flash, the bright colors everywhere, and the massive crowd of dancing bodies moved. He'd never noticed before but the casino was really an assault on the senses. Martini did her best to make him less miserable, but from behind the bar there was only so much she could do. As the day went on he became slower and slower which only lead to more angry customers, and eventually, an angry manager. He would wander over to the dance floor on occasion, forgetting that he was there for a job. It was on one such occasion that he realized there was still hope. He'd put down everything at the bar, and had unknowingly gone over and started dancing. The regulars cheered that he was finally back, and the newcomers joined in when they saw him dance. For the first time in a while, his mischievous smile was back. He hoped that the wolf was there, but he didn't see him anywhere. He did see the angel again.

"What are you doing dancing here?" She had to yell over the music, but he didn't mind. She yelped as he took her hands and spun her around. He hadn't had a dancing partner in quite a while. She struggled at first, but it was only halfhearted anyway. When she finally put her all into it, she was easily able to keep up with him. At some point, they both started laughing, and neither one of them was really sure why. "What are we doing?"

"Dancing!" Bendy replied over the roaring music. He faintly heard Martini call for him, but he realized that he just didn't care. He didn't care about anything that had been happening, he only cared about dancing his cares away. 

But that could only last so long. A few songs later he and the angel were lifted high into the air. She panicked and tried to fly away, but the skilled hands caught her quickly. It was, unsurprisingly, King Dice. He glared down at the two of them and Bendy shrunk under his gaze.

"Why exactly have you been dancing instead of working?" His voice was harsh and Bendy felt like curling into a ball and never coming out. 

"I got-"

"I asked him to." The angel spoke up, and King Dice raised an eyebrow at her. "If I'm going to have to come to this hellhole more than once I might as well enjoy myself." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" King Dice's voice had turned polite, but it still had an edge to it.

"The Devil didn't tell you?" She glanced back and forth between King Dice and Bendy. "My name is Alice. I've been sent by Heaven to find out why you've been altering soul contracts so harshly. You're going against code, and we need to fix that as soon as possible." King Dice nodded, seemingly lost in thought. They stood there for a few more minutes, before he finally spoke up.

"I'm no longer allowed near the soul contracts, the boss must be doing something drastic. I'll take you to him." Bendy expected King Dice to put him down, but he held onto him as he headed for the Devil's office. "You're still in trouble, and I think I'll ask the boss what to do with you." Bendy gulped but nodded. Alice looked over at him and shook her head sadly. 

The trek to the Devil's office was much shorter when King Dice took it. Bendy didn't even have time to prepare himself for the confrontation with his dad. King Dice didn't knock, and because of that they saw the tail end of something that made Bendy's heart sink even more. The wolf Bendy had met a few times before was signing a soul contract as they walked in. The Devil was grinning down at him, and King Dice grinned as well. Alice looked as horrified as Bendy felt. 

"Now, get out of my office." The Devil's voice was a low growl, and the wolf did just that. He took off in a run, worming his way past King Dice. Bendy reached out to him, as if he could still somehow save him, but it was much too late. The wolf was gone. "The hell do you want Dice?"

"An angel showed up boss. Says she's here because you've been tampering with soul contracts." King Dice kept his voice level, not trying to sound accusing. The Devil snarled and stood. 

"I told you last week, I haven't done anything to those damn contracts!" Bendy cowered at the Devil's rage, but Alice didn't seem put off at all.

"We've still been getting reports, I know you're lying. If you don't fix them now, I'll have to do it myself." She extended her wings again, and it somehow made her lithe frame look much more menacing. The Devil growled and snatched her from King Dice's hand. She tumbled around in his fist, but she never seemed to loose her fierce look. The Devil finally laid his hand flat and she stood up quickly. "Change them back." Her voice was cold and her eyes seemed to be glowing with heavenly power.

"Never!" The Devil smashed his hands together to squash her, but she was too fast. She flew into the air and blasted a ray of light at the Devil. It was large and very powerful for someone her size. It knocked King Dice back and Bendy went tumbling to the ground. Right before he hit it hard though, King Dice quickly grabbed him. But he was much more careful than he had been before.

"Bendy? Bendy, sweetie, are you alright?" His voice was soft and caring and Bendy realized his pop was back. He sobbed with relief and King Dice held him to his cheek. "It's alright love, I'm here. You're safe. I love you."

"I love you too." Bendy barely had time to speak before Alice screamed in pain. The Devil was holding his trident up high, and slammed it against the ground. Hellfire rapped around everything and everyone, and Bendy realized he was burning. A moment later, the pain was too much and he passed out.

 

Bendy woke up in Hell, and quickly looked around. None of the other demons were here. The Hellfire around him was reaching towards him, and he carefully reached out to touch it. It no longer burned and he sighed in relief. His pop was back, and he had control over Hellfire again. He rushed to the entrance to Hell, but slowed at what he saw in the Devil's office. King Dice was standing there, but he wasn't acting like Bendy's pop anymore. He was back to being a shadow of himself. The Devil was pouring over a soul contract. But most notably, there was something hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a birdcage, but it was much too big. And standing inside was a little angel. Her wings were no longer beautiful pure white feathers, but were fuzzy and looked much too heavy for her to fly. Her long white dress was now short and black, and her halo drooped to the point that it rested on her new horns. She was singing sadly, and looking blindly in front of her. She was clearly a fallen angel now.


End file.
